


You Happen to Me All Over Again

by DustToDust



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-12-13 18:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21002015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DustToDust/pseuds/DustToDust
Summary: Palm to palm, they can make it work. Collection of drabbles.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Short works here. I am trying to get back into the habit of writing. I'm taking prompts from all over and this first chapter was taken from the Inktober set for Pattern.

Green is a fairly common coloration for those with orc blood in the open and wooded lands of Zemni Fields, and grey is more common to mountainous regions such as the Menagerie Coast. It's a slightly interesting fact that doesn’t mean much given how widely people travel and intermingle. It’s the first and last thought Caleb has about the unique coloration of Fjord’s skin until they reach Zadash and it feels like he gets hit with a ton of bricks with the fact that Fjord is green. 

It’s a thought so very basic that it doesn’t even deserve to be called an observation. It’s the simplest kind of descriptor for anyone. Nott is also green, Jester is blue, Molly is purple, Beau is brown, and Yasha is even whiter than Caleb is. It’s nothing new or very extraordinary really especially not after their time spent on the road. 

Caleb's mind is frozen though on the thought that Fjord is _very_ green. All over, and there is a lot of Fjord to _be_ green because the half-orc is a big guy. And there’s _patterns_ to the tone of his skin. The dark, almost moss green tone starts at the top of his face, and goes down the sides and back of his neck to cover the outer parts of his arms. His lower face and front neck shade to a light green that wraps out from the back of his arms and down his chest. All the way down and Caleb’s eyes follow the pattern before he can stop them.

The color of Fjord’s skin should not feel like such a revelation, but it’s all Caleb can think about as he slowly sinks down in the water of the bathhouse. Not stopping until the water level is just below his nose despite the way it makes Nott twitch and the heat of it sinks into his bones. He’s thankful for Yasha’s unexpected presence because it allows him to try to gather his scattered mind and keep his eyes above the level of the water.

~

*

~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stolen from Intober's prompt of Snow. May have some time at work tonight to work on something more if I can find prompts to kick my mind into gear.

Snow falls from the sky in thick flakes that look soft and fluffy. It floats down in gently swirling eddies that look beautiful enough on their own to almost make him forget he’s still got a few hours left to slog through the half melted piles it’s going to make. His right boot is already soaked through, the sole in need of mending somewhere, and his left foot is starting to feel suspiciously cold as well.

The wind kicks up a bit to remind him how very far from the coast and it’s more temperate climes he is, and Fjord knows that he’ll only become more miserable the longer he remains still. That the chill of the air will soak into him more firmly when he’s not moving. He doesn’t say anything though.

Because the sight of Caleb standing under the open sky --head tilted up, white flakes dotting red hair, lips quirked in a relaxed smile-- is worth every bit of the suffering he knows is coming.

~

*

~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because the old one sentence challenges used to work good at getting my mind working. Still looking for prompts to keep writing. I'd ask you to forgive my abuse of the structure of a sentence, but I honestly don't do much better in other works.

**#25 - Mask**

"We are only guilty of minor crimes," Caleb lies to the half-orc easily, an idea for traveling unnoticed --or at least being able to _not_ be the sole center of attention-- through the heart of the Empire forming in his mind, "nothing big though."

**#09 - Red**

The rope doesn’t seem like it has a practical purpose --it’s too soft to not break-- it doesn’t look like it’s been used --the color is still too vivid for any wear-- so Caleb has no other recourse but to wonder over if there’s a rich person out in the world missing their curtain ties.

**#26 - Ice**

Shards of ice burst into being covering Fjord in a blinding layer of frost with a crackle that rends the air and turns his next breath into a fog that wreathe his face, and Caleb nearly gives their location away with the well of questions he immediately wants to ask.

**#22 - Journey**

Fjord is inquisitive on the watches they share, asking all sorts of questions about magic, and the sun rises before Caleb realizes he's been lecturing for hours on the different kinds of schools.

**#20 - Talent**

How much of the technical details Fjord maintains is debatable though, his magic is too instinctual and raw for the formal teachings Caleb uses, and he could be a sorcerer if not for the newness of his magic.

**#23 - Fire**

It’s irrational to feel possessive over the glove --Fjord could greatly benefit from it as he’s still learning what his own magic can do-- but Caleb itches for every hour the glove remains out of his control and the relief he feels when Fjord trades him for the armor nearly makes his knees buckle.

**#47 - Highway**

Drops of water roll down Caleb's throat from the edge of the falchion as Fjord stares him down with the ultimatum echoing between them; as a team is a harder demand than he first thought it would be and Fjord's _or you’re working for yourselves_ is tempting.

**#46 - Gravity**

They don’t discuss it even though Caleb can still feel the edge of a blade on his neck and something that might be guilt edges of Fjord’s interactions --it's an issue that’s not nearly as pressing as the attacks that unfolded after-- but there’s a fragile peace to the stalemate that Caleb feels is better than anything they could get if the High-Richter’s house were to be discussed.

**#50 - Breathe**

Caleb listens during the night watch for any danger and isn’t satisfied unless the area outside of his silver thread is still, and the cadence of Fjord’s breathing remains even and free of water.

**#10 - Drink**

"Cider," Caleb says to the surprised look Fjord gives after the first sip of the sweet drink, "it is good for a cold night, ja?"

**#29 - Dance**

The world tilts and shifts under Caleb’s feet after he’s finished spinning around the room with Jester, and it takes him longer than it should to realize --with much disappointment-- he can’t find Fjord for a turn on the dance floor because the half-orc isn’t anywhere to be found.

**#39 - Overwhelmed**

The nightwatch is long and lonely as Caleb spends his hours of it listing all the reasons why he should get up and walk away, just leave while he can and forget them all; when the sun rises he’s still there despite it all.

**#32 - Farewells**

Parts of Caleb still feel raw and hurt from burying Molly and he’s _determined_, not again, he will do anything to get the rest of them back.

**#27 - Fall**

When nearly everyone finally falls asleep in his hut Caleb takes the time to study the people they almost lost, and when his eyes stray to Fjord more than the women Caleb doesn’t have the willpower to lie to himself about why.

**#37 - Lies**

Caleb is used to covering up a variety of truths and thought he knew all the ways possible to do so, but it’s not until he hears the strains of something unfamiliar in Fjord’s speech --slipping out here and there when he’s distracted or tired or upset-- that he considers how much a voice can reveal.

**#18 - Dream**

Caleb wakes disoriented from a dream of heat that doesn't involve fire but did have calloused hands, broad shoulders, and blunted tusks.

**#13 - View**

The sea is something else --vast and magnificent-- and Caleb often finds himself on deck lost in it almost as much as Fjord --confident and at ease-- seems to find purpose in it from behind the wheel.

**#42 - Talk**

_Whatever it takes,_ Caleb had said thinking of the many things he’s done in the name of survival over the years, but it doesn’t stop him from feeling sick when he sees the distant and haunted look in Fjord’s eyes later after leaving Avantika’s quarters.

**#48 - Unknown**

The altar’s runes sing with old magic that makes Caleb’s fingers itch for the pages of a book or the nib of a pen to copy them --but they’re underwater and he has neither of those things now-- and it takes very little for him to rest his fingers on the hilt of a dagger before meeting Fjord’s equally curious gaze, “Can I count on you to return the favor?”

**#19 - Candle**

It's late when Caleb leans back from his book satisfied with the transcription and turns to his own bed only for the single candle to reflect off Fjord's eyes as he squints at Caleb in curiosity and rumbles, "You finally done?"

**#21 - Silence**

_I murdered my parents,_ burns behind his teeth as he drops the bandages from his arms and tells some of his story but the weight of eyes --of one pair of golden eyes who never had the chance to have parents-- keeps him silent about the truth for a little longer.

**#30 - Body**

Caleb finds it ridiculous that Fjord is self-conscious about his size --about being _small_\-- when there are times standing next to him that Caleb spends trying very hard not to think about how _big_ he is and how that might feel in a totally inappropriate way.

**#12 - Temptation**

Clawed fingers sink into Caleb’s mind with painful precision that’s all too familiar, but Caleb forgets it on the next breath as yearning fills him and all he can see is the way scarred lips smile at him in promise, _“Light them up, pretty.”_

**#11 - Midnight**

Exhaustion pulls on Caleb but he fights it as long as he can --even with his eyes closed and breath slowing he fights-- holding onto Fjord’s hand and the feeling of warmth as they rest in the Bright Queen’s palace.

**#44 - Hope**

_Home_ is a nebulous concept to apply to anything, but it takes root and grows as they change the house and Caleb moves empty bookshelves with Fjord --both of them over their heads but not willing to admit it-- to make his own room in this shared space.  
**  
#17 - Promise**

_Always_ is a big enough word that Caleb almost asks Fjord if he knows what he’s agreed to but every time he works up to it the half-orc gives him a _look_ that steals the air from Caleb’s lungs and leaves him almost certain that he does know.

**#49 - Lock**

Caleb is very good at ignoring his feeling but not his own thoughts, and once the idea of being in love has entered his mind there is no way for him to ignore it any longer, no matter how much he might wish to.

**#41 - Wait**

Fjord's room is simple and has the least customization out of all the Nein, but Caleb doesn't give the lack of personality to it much thought until Fjord pleads to be allowed to tell his story under his own terms.

**#34 - Formal**

The formal attire of the Kryn are something else, there's a careless thread of power and calculated poise to the garments that Caleb finds familiar in a way that makes him straighten his spine but the dark lines of it all do wonderful things for Fjord.

**#07 - Wings**

Fjord is almost worryingly still in Caleb’s claws, and it takes a momentary lull in the winds buffeting the mountain before his bird hearing can pick up the sound of a whoop that eases the bit of anxiety that’d managed crowd his mind.

**#02 - Hero**

The look Fjord gives him when Caleb puts the Glove of Blasting on his hand makes something warm curl up in his chest even as it makes him want to hide away.

**#45 Eclipse**

Caleb used to think there wasn’t anything that could scare him more than the thought of Trent finding him again, but that was before he found himself saddled with a goblin and a group and a burgeoning _thing_ with a half-orc.

**#24 - Strength**

Fjord's chest heaves and his whole body trembles with pain in the aftermath but Caleb won't be forgetting the sight of him holding the giant worm still with nothing more than pure will and the stubbornness of not wanting to lose any of their friends; so much for being "powerless."

**#15 - Silk**

Fjord’s drawl was husky and rough, his true voice is smooth and like silk which suits him better now that Caleb’s heard it used freely but he can admit that he’s partial to the effects both voices have on him.

**#28 - Forgotten**

When Fjord does apologize it takes Caleb a long moment to understand --"Leave. No. Trace!"-- it feels so long ago that he's sure they were both completely different men and easily accepts it.

**#31 - Sacred**

Caleb wants to see Fjord at sea now that he serves under the Wildmother, wants to see the man --already at ease on a ship-- discover any new connection the goddess might give him with a yearning that is surprisingly sharp.

**#05 - Run**

It wasn't all that long ago that Caleb would have run for the furthest corners of the world at even the _idea_ of Trent finding him, but now --with these people, with their victories-- he's starting to almost look forward to it.

**#16 - Cover**

They've played this part often enough, with slight variations, that Caleb is already smiling blandly as Fjord introduces themselves as newlyweds, and he only hesitates a fraction of a second to ease into the arm that slides around him.

**#01 - Ring**

And if Caleb spent a long moment wondering what it would be like if they weren’t both lying, what it’d be like if the ring on his finger was truly given instead of hastily slipped to him by Nott, there’s no one around to call him out on it or the way he shamelessly leans into Fjord any chance he gets.

**#08 - Cold**

They’re long past needing to maintain the charade but they still walk in step with their hands clasped between them until they’re forced to part at the next inn and Caleb tries to ignore how cold his whole side feels.

**#33 - World**

There are days where it feels like the whole world is going to hell and all their efforts are only speeding it along, and those are the days when Caleb will curls himself up in his study to bury himself in books he’s memorized until Fjord comes in with a tea tray to pull him out of his head.

**#43 - Search**

Caleb’s not sure he isn’t just seeing what he wants to see but Fjord lingers at the edges of his space and they both find excuses --to talk, to touch, to be-- to share time together.

**#03 - Memory**

“I suppose if he makes you happy he can’t be _that_ bad of a person,” Nott’s eyes flash suddenly fierce and protective like only she can be, “Just try not to make him too happy, I’ve only _collected_ half the buttons he owes me.”

**#35 - Fever**

Which one of them reaches for the other first is lost in the haze of heat --and touch and kisses and _finally_\-- but doesn’t matter much in the aftermath as the fact that it was done.

**#04 - Box**

There is a small army of reasons for why it’s a bad idea, a legion of ways that it could all go wrong, and too many ways that every bit of this relationship can --and likely will, who are you kidding Widogast?-- be used against him; they all get packed up into a neat little box and shoved to the back of his mind to be examined later, when Fjord isn’t smiling into his neck and his hands are not holding Caleb so close their hearts seem to beat as one.

**#36 - Laugh**

“You don’t need to apologize,” Jester’s laughter is beautiful and bright, “You’re so silly, Caleb, I don’t _own_ Fjord, he can do whatever he feels like doing!”

**#14 - Music**

When Caleb does get his dance with Fjord it’s not a waltz, the tune is too jaunty and he finds himself swept up into a lively jig that leaves the both of them breathless with laughter.

**#40 - Whisper**

“I told you, always,” Fjord says sometime in the night when Caleb is too tired to open his eyes and he wonders if the man thinks he’s fully asleep, “I meant it in every way possible.”

**#06 - Hurricane**

For all that it feels like his whole life has been upended, that everything has changed, the Nein continue on exactly the same as ever before.

**#38 - Forever**

They’re setting themselves up to solve the biggest problems in the world it seems, and with Fjord beside him and their friends around them Caleb supposes that there are worse fates he could suffer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had to change out a few words and still don't feel like I have a handle on Fjord yet.

**#03 - Beginning**

Nott and Caleb remind Fjord of beggars from Port Damali --as likely to ask for alms as they are to stick a man in the back for a copper-- and he can only hope that trusting them isn’t going to be a mistake.

**#28 - New**

The way Caleb talks about magic --something he studies and learns and etches into his brain-- sounds nothing like the way Fjord knows magic --power thrumming in his veins and working without thought-- but the promise of being able to cast more spells is tempting enough he wants to take the man up on his reluctant offer to teach.

**#15 - Flexible**

“We’ll make it work,” Fjord says and it feels right even though he can see half a dozen ways it’ll all blow up in his face before the week is even up and he’s not sure if that confidence is coming from himself or the somber-eyed mage agreeing with him.

**#20 - Green**

Fjord's never been allowed to forget the mix of his blood but sitting next to Caleb talking out travel plans it's easy to think it doesn't matter all that much.

**#14 - Fire**

He's sure Caleb would never want to hear it, but fire suits him, brings out the red of his hair and the light in his eyes.

**#17 - <s>Food</s> Focus**

Fjord’s still reeling from the dream and the answers --as well as the load more questions he’s found-- it’s left him with and Caleb’s intent stare and drilling questions are hard to avoid as he scrambles to get all attention off of him.

**#25 - Light**

Caleb casts a light spell with a flick of his wrist and a barely muttered word as easily as Fjord himself would breathe and it’s interesting to watch every time.

**#36 - Secret**

They all have their own secrets and not prodding at them too much is a fine balancing act that keeps them functional, but Fjord will admit that he’s more than passingly curious about the story behind Caleb Widogast.

**#13 - Fall**

Caleb cleans up nicely and, in the illusion of better clothing, looks like he belongs with the well-dressed men and women who don’t pay him any mind at all while Fjord feels like he has to contend with every hairy eyeball in the room.

**#05 - Coffee**

“It is an acquired taste,” Caleb says with a chuckle as Fjord grimaces a bit at the bitterness of the drink, “but at least it is warm.”

**#12 - End**

Fjord’s hand doesn’t tremble --not with anger and not with the surprising amount of anxiety coursing through him-- as he presses the falchion to Caleb’s neck and watches the integrity of the whole group tremble in his defiant eyes.

**#35 - Roses**

Flowers are gathered wherever they go to end up in Jester’s bag, Yasha’s book, or someone’s hair; usually Caleb’s once Nott gets it into her head they’re good luck for him and the odd juxtaposition work for the man.

**#09 - Drink**

Surprisingly, Caleb is a _happy_ drunk, loose with his touch and speech as he twirls Jester around the bar in tightly spun steps that make Fjord close his eyes against the dizziness --and _no_ other reason at all-- of it before stumbling away to find a nice dark corner to sit down for a while.

**#22 - Hollow**

When the wagon stops and he hears the familiar sounds of the others Fjord prepares himself as best he can to fight back; he’s not prepared for the way things go very quiet --no shouts or screeches, no crackling of magic, no clash of blades-- before the wagons lurch on as if nothing had ever stopped them.

**#21 - Head**

Exhausted as he is, Fjord’s sleep is fitful as he wakes frequently --at the insistence of his mind-- to check that everyone is present and safe in Caleb’s new magical dome-- and meets the steady gaze of Caleb watching out for them all every time.

**#24 - Hope**

Fjord tries to still the tremor in his hands with the weight of a tankard but it’s the conviction in Caleb’s eyes and the roughness in Beau’s voice that do the most to steady him and allow him to --finally-- breathe easily.

**#23 - Honor**

They drink to Molly’s memory, celebrating in a way he would have loved, and if Fjord ended the night leaning most of his weight on a wobbling Caleb he’s sure that Molly would have approved of that as well.

**#42 - Strange**

Everyone looks to him when they’re deciding things, Fjord desperately wants to slink away under that pressure because his ideas are obviously flawed, and it’s relieving beyond belief when Caleb steps up into the role of leader.

**#47 - Water**

Fjord knows Caleb will take well to the sea the moment the human sees it, he goes very still and quietly reverant and it’s the most peaceful Fjord has ever seen him.

**#32 - Pretty**

Caleb floating --almost as bare as the day he was born-- in the sea is a sight from afar, up close with the man glaring death at Fjord is even better though.

**#02 - Apples**

The first week out at sea and Caleb burns under the sun, it’s a miserable few weeks for him afterwards but he ends up with a dozen more freckles on his cheeks that are unfairly distracting to Fjord.

**#16 - Flying**

Caleb corners him for a talk and Fjord feels incredibly grateful for it because it’s hard to feel the phantom touches of Avantika with Caleb’s eyes boring into him searching for answers.

**#27 - <s>Metal</s> Stone**

They’re both gambling men, willing to take a risk on something that isn’t a sure thing and curious to see how it’ll go; Fjord sees it in the flicker of Caleb’s eyes moments before they’re both spilling blood to slake Fjord’s question.

**#33 - Rain**

His hand aches as they sail away from the storm even with the healing spell Caduceus threw at them, and Fjord finds himself flexing his hand, carelessly reopening the cut and ignoring the way his picking at the scabs will likely make it scar.

**#48 - Welcome**

It’s not until they stop in Trostenwald that Fjord realizes the tantalizing smell he thought was the sea --it’s not, it’s just something that reminds him of _home_ and _comfort_ and _safety_\-- isn’t lingering in their clothes; it’s coming from Caleb and the meaning of that isn’t lost on Fjord despite how much he wished it were.

**#45 - Ugly**

There’s no illusion good enough to hide all of Fjord’s flaws and short-comings --he’s a half-orc runt with a borrowed voice and magic-- and he can’t offer Caleb anything more than that except for a battered set of armor --that Caleb gave _him_\-- and the few gold coins he has left after repairing the ship.

**#44 - Taboo**

The bandages unravel with a tale that drags out of Caleb with the intensity of a shard of glass being slowly pushed through skin, or crystals being dug under skin to be kept there, and Fjord doesn’t think he’s hated anyone quite as much as he now hates this Ikithon bastard.

**#04 - Bugs**

The doubts pile up hard and fast though silencing Fjord before he can even think to say anything and there’s not much time left to reflect once they reach Allfield.

**#06 - Dark**

Fjord only gets a little time to think as they cautiously follow the trail of Nott’s husband, it’s mostly focused on thinking about how he can tell without looking where Caleb is, and how laying next to him in the dome relaxes the set of instincts Fjord tries hard to pretend he doesn’t have.

**#37 - Snakes**

Uk’otoa doesn’t seem to like many things that don’t directly involve freeing him and Fjord gets the feeling he’s blaming the Nein when his dreams start showing him the many ways they can all die.

**#26 - Lost**

Fjord’s not sure which was worse; seeing Caleb’s eyes glaze over under the control of demons or seeing them go blank as he almost bled out from wounds that wouldn’t stay closed.

**#43 - Summer**

Fjord’s left flustered, not from the sight of the collar snug on Caleb’s neck or the way he looks kneeling at Fjord’s feet with a dirty rag; no, it’s the _look_ Caleb gives him that promises payback that makes Fjord’s mind spin in a dangerous direction that makes him start to feel uncomfortably hot.

**#19 - Grave**

Caleb holding the dodecahedron out for the whole world to see --after being so insistent it stayed hidden-- is as stunning as is the speed from which they all go from being imprisoned to being declared heroes and falling asleep in a soft bed clutching Caleb’s hand. 

**#46 - War**

It’s too big for them to deal with, Fjord thinks but does not say because there’s a light in Caleb’s eyes that is as beautiful as it is fragile when he talks about ending the war.

**#34 - Regret**

Uk’otoa’s demands get more strident the further the group travels from the sea but it’s not until Fjord wakes from another dream --coughing and feeling so very empty-- devoid of any power at all that he truly begins to wonder if his deal with the being is worth it.

**#41 - Stable**

The house is a big thing for the Nein and --after adding a few more precautionary measures-- starts to feel safe and secure as they change it to fit them; it makes Fjord start to rethink what he might or might not have to offer.

**#50 - Wood**

Instinct dogs Fjord around the new home and he does his best to ignore it even as he jumps everytime Caleb mentions wanting to rearrange some bookshelves in his library or room, and if he bites off a bit more than he can chew with it Beau’s kind enough to laugh in his face and rib him about it in private.

**#31 - Poison**

Essek is a powerful man in the Dynasty, an accomplished wizard, and is a really good looking man; all facts that shift and change in meaning as he spends more and more time with Caleb who always looks so _delighted_ to see him much to Fjord’s displeasure.

**#11 - Earth**

Caleb is careful now with his new clothes to stay clear of the mud and dirt he used to hide behind, but his scent is still earthy and comforting despite the sharpness brought in by the Kryn silks.

**#18 - Foot**

Fjord knows how to be charming enough to get people to do what he wants --to look the other way a bit, give him their secrets, even knock a few coins off a price-- but he’s got zero idea what to do when it comes to flirting and it shows when _Beau_ starts to give him advice after he’s choked up one too many times around Caleb.

**#08 - Doors**

Caleb looks good leaning against the jamb of Fjord’s door even as he presses Fjord about his voice and the story that he’s still not ready to share with Caleb, not yet, maybe not ever.

**#49 - Winter**

The air Fjord breathes in is so cold it almost hurts, he’s not made for this kind of weather but Caleb seems to be as he easily offers up his scarf without a second thought, “I am more used to this kind of weather, you look like you need it more.”

**#07 - Despair**

The magic he wielded hadn’t been his own and the price he paid to use it was too high but Fjord hasn’t felt this helpless since he was a child and he can’t help shrinking under the eyes of the others as he tells them --in his own voice-- why he’s a liability to them now.

**#38 - Snow**

Fjord closes his eyes on a landscape covered in snow and opens them to the sky blue eyes and a half torn off cocoon of seaweed, stronger and more stable than he was before he sought the Wildmother’s touch.

**#39 - Solid**

Fjord feels better, more solid, with the voice of the Wildmother whispering in his dreams, and the others notice and comment on it, though it’s the way Caleb’s touch lingers when he calls him “Big guy” that sticks with him the longest.

**#10 - Duty**

“But you have to read it Fjord,” Jester draws out the syllables of his name even as she tries to smash his face in with one of her smutty books, “you’ve got to learn how to romance the pants off Caleb!”

**#29 - Old**

There’s a vicious little voice that’s been with Fjord all his life he’s had to work hard to push past it whispers all the ways he’s not good enough, shaking it off now is harder to do without Vandren’s voice but Fjord manages it well enough to reach out and touch Caleb’s wrist, “Hey, can we talk?”

**#01 - Air**

Fjord wonders when having his lips on Caleb became every bit as necessary as breathing.

**#40 - Spring**

Fjord wakes up to a goblin on his chest and the pointy end of a dagger someplace he really doesn’t want pointy things to ever be, Nott gives him a minute to let that all sink in before speaking, “Listen up, I’m going to tell you once exactly what will happen to you if you _ever_ hurt my boy.”

**#30 - Peace**

The smell of ink and paper first thing in the morning, the warmth of a lean body glued to his side, the soft curtain of red hair splayed across his chest all fill Fjord with a contentedness that he’s never felt before.


	5. No Trace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still wrapping my head around a few things.

Fjord knows he’s well and truly fucked when he finds himself locked eye to eye with Caleb over a scroll. There’s no hint of the meekness the wizard usually hides behind in the thinly pressed lips or the outright hostile glare that meets his gaze. Caleb grips the scroll in a firm grasp despite the edge of the falchion pressed to his throat. He wants it and he intends to have it, consequences be damned.

“Leave. It.” Fjord growls again, biting each word off hard and sharp the way Vandren would when meetings with shady merchants got dicey. The growl he adds just to project all of his anger and hopefully none of the betrayal he’s feeling.

_Please_, he thinks to himself, almost begging. _Leave it behind, don’t do this to us._

Fjord bites the thoughts back because it’s _weak_ to plead like that and meaningless when there’s nothing behind Caleb’s eyes but cold calculation. A rapid assessment of the blade, the Hex in Fjord’s hand, and Nott’s crossbow. All numbers and benefits for himself --and only himself-- versus cons that leaves Fjord heated and angry. 

Leaves him _hurting_.

“You’re part of this group, or you’re gone,” Fjord states to Caleb’s stubborn silence. An ultimatum that burns him to have to make because he thought they were a thing, a group, and now here Caleb is ready to fuck them all over for a rolled up piece of paper.

This isn’t just some heist or bit of mischief they’re pulling, it’s fucking treason. And Fjord might not be a citizen of the Empire, but he’s seen enough of it to know exactly what happens to people doing even a fraction of what they’re doing now. This is all their necks on the line here, and they need to be real fucking careful about it if they want it to work and get away. Not let their own personal greed get them caught.

Fjord repeats it all to himself. Every reason he has to be angry and upset as he waits for Caleb to decide if he really is a part of the group or not. It helps to bury the pain because Fjord thought- No, _believed_ that Caleb was part of the group. He _named_ them, he cautioned them, protected them, and warmed them when rain wet wood wouldn’t catch fire. He gave Fjord armor. It might not seem like much to most, but to Fjord --to the orc blood in his veins-- that meant _something_. Obviously, that feeling had only been on Fjord’s part, and that stung. Bad. 

(He doesn’t allow himself to consider that it’s mostly from the fact that Fjord gave in return as well. He brought food, put up for rooms, went _shopping_. He didn’t press for secrets that were obviously painful, his own secrets caged behind his teeth had made that seem like a fair trade. They were making it work though, just as they both swore they would. It hadn’t been much but it was the beginning of something more. So why-)

Fjord grits his teeth against his roiling emotions and holds firm. Waiting for Caleb to answer one way or another. Knowing he’s completely fucked no matter which way the human goes because something has broken down in the understanding they had. He wants to beg Caleb to stop, to be what he _hoped_ they could have been given time. Time for Fjord to prove himself and for Caleb to learn to trust.

But that’s not happening now. Not with a drop of blood tinged water rolling down Caleb’s pale neck and Nott snarling curses to the side as a spell crackles in Fjord’s fist. It’s not going to happen at all and Fjord bitterly wonders when he will stop being so surprised when things don’t work out in his favor.


End file.
